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I did this Renault Kangoo with Arlon SLX – will you do it using different vinyl?
I did this Renault Kangoo with Arlon SLX.
1) Is Arlon SLX an overkill for this job?
2) Will you do it using different vinyl? (please state exact vinyl)
After burning my self using Metamark MetaWrap MD-X, and re-doing 3 Renault Masters, I decide to use premium film for all my work now. What is your opinion? Happy to hear it.
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16 Replies
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Hi Pane
A bit of overkill and more expensive for you and client, Arlon Fusion is a great film for this type of job. This caddy is done with Fusion on the sides and SLX on the rear. Both print the same.
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Overkill perhaps, but gives peace of mind I suppose.
Might up price and cost. But if you had 2 or 3m on a roll left for another job, then it would of been false economy to order in another 22.5m roll that’s of lesser grade.
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Use the better vinyl. Call it insurance, or peace of mind, or whatever.
I use 3M wrap vinyl, mainly because its a brand customers have heard of, which makes it easier to sell. Avery, Arlon, Oracal, probably just as good technically, but they just dont have the brand recognition outside the sign industry. -
How much did this cost you to do Pane? Or how much would you have saved had you used your regular material? I doubt the saving would be worth the worry of it failing in the recess, but I’ll ask you this. Imagine pulling up alongside this van done by you on the cheap, failing in the recess & knowing it’s coming back for you to do the premium version completely free of charge. Wish you’d spent the extra 50 or 60 sheets? I don’t think we over specify these jobs, but I suspect you think you’ve undercharged them. If the material stays put, it’s the right one, don’t be in too much of a rush to give customers a BMW for Kia money.
Just my opinion mate, but have a wander round town, take a few pictures of failed vinyls on vans & show the customer when he gripes about how you’re charging a bit more than the bloke down the road. If he can’t see the light, scrape him off, he’s beyond redemption.
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Personally I’d be reasonably confident using MD5 for that specific installation – provided it’s fed in, and under no tension.
It’s just catching part of the corner of the panel above the e, which would has me wondering, but I’ve not looked at the Kangoo recently to know for sure.
The cut around the window should allow it be fed in, around there.
As Simon and Kevin point out, if I had the SLX in stock, depending on the customer & price why not use it. Perhaps it is overkill, but you can sleep tight knowing it’s right.
I recalled a maxi mover the other week, stripped the entire side and re-wrapped it, as I’d got distracted when installing, and door catch landed smack bang in the middle of a word on one side – Wound me up like crazy, ruined my weekend! Customer didn’t really care but really rattled me.
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Can this recess be fed in?
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I’d opt for a cast film on that all day long.
If you tried feeding in polymeric, the vinyl would distort, unless you applied heat and it would stretch likely failing.
I only feed in on straight steps not the corners.
Not sure how the fusion would handle it as I haven’t used it, perhaps some of these hybrid films would do the job – not worth buying a roll though if you had SLX in.
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Hi Pane
Your first photos show a side with a window and the graphics shape sort of allows the vinyl to be manipulated and folded in and out of the recess. depending on how it’s handled and fed/squeegeed, “you can” create a bit of slack naturally to allow less stress and tension on the vinyl areas shown in RED. The part with the glass would be cut against the glass edge and the rest worked down into the lower section. this creates tension but it’s more spread across the bend rather than pulling up out of the recess, so again the vinyl should cope with this easy enough. Arlon polymeric would come with this without any problems.
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However, the opposite side is a different story.
As you can see where indicated in RED. you have recessed tension all the way around the area on the left panel and part of the way on the right panel. so your not going to get away with feeding the vinyl into relieving tension. You could opt for Arlon 6000xrp which i would think is a more cost-effective approach than the SLX.
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DPF 6000XRP – data sheet attached
Premium Cast Multi-Purpose Film With X-Scape Technology -
What’s wrong with Metamark MDX? Great product imo and we use it a lot along side SLX.
John
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MDX is a ‘hybrid’ advertised as a “Cylinder Cast” vinyl.
I’m a fan of Metamark, and their products are good, however it is not a true cast, and can’t be compared like for like against a true cast film.
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Not saying it is a cast product David but Pane said he got ‘burnt’ using it and wondered why?
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i believe he had some failures in areas you wouldnt expect. Maybe the film was pushed past its limit and not upto the job. Ive had the same with these hybrid films, will only used them on flat and curved surfaces now, not recesses
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I am just playing devil advocate here…
Pane having issues with Metamark MDX is most likely down to how metamark have chosen to describe/sell their product on the basis of it being a cast when it is not.
Some good polymerics can often be manipulated to conform to recesses and shapes they haven’t been created for, but when the applicator is using a material he “thinks is a cast” and should easily handle the application in question, only for it not to be a true cast, well there lies the problem. Unfortunately for us sign makers and wrappers, the fail is then blamed on us, our company and our ability to do the job by our customers. Losing us credibility, money and time.
Should Pane fight his case here with the manufacturer and win? well, the best he will get is a replacement roll of vinyl, which is the normal compensation for accepted manufacturer fails. which is more to peacify than any sort of proper compensation when you take the damage done on the whole. -
We use quite a lot of MDX for full wraps so recesses as well…. moulded in not fed in. We know it’s not a true cast but not had failure yet so will keep on using it. Price, service and quality are all good.
John
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